


Mad for Lance

by Titans_R_Us



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Drabble, Fix-It, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I was angry so I fixed it, Insecure Lance (Voltron), motherhen red lion, red lion will not let this stand, she will make this better, switching lions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-05
Updated: 2017-08-05
Packaged: 2018-12-11 08:48:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11710962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Titans_R_Us/pseuds/Titans_R_Us
Summary: It’s like being underwater.  But you realize only have a couple seconds before your lungs burst. So you paddle for the surface frantically, desperately because you can’t breathe, but you’re not gonna make it. Lance gasps for air, but he can’t see anything in front of him except for Blue’s glowing barrier.And how it’s shutting him out.He’s tried everything. Tried using reason, his best flirty lines getting nothing, not even a blip, to frustrated begging because his, no their team, is out there and they need him.Don’t they?





	Mad for Lance

**Author's Note:**

> For Voltron Season 3: Episode 2. Because Lance deserves a moment where he connects to Red for the first time. I love Keith and am proud of him (Red would be too), but he got that transition and closure and Lance needs a little of it too. This doesn't fix everything...but puts Lance in a mildly better place.

It’s like being underwater.  But you realize only have a couple seconds before your lungs burst. So you paddle for the surface frantically, desperately because you can’t breathe, _but you’re not gonna make it._ Lance gasps for air, but he can’t see anything in front of him except for Blue’s glowing barrier.

And how it’s shutting him out.

He’s tried everything. Tried using reason, his best flirty lines getting _nothing,_ not even a blip, to _frustrated begging_ because his, no their team, is out there and they need him.

Don’t they?

Allura finds him on his knees, pounding on Blue’s barrier with these little _please’s_ dripping out of his mouth like rain. But Blue’s not responding to him at all. He can barely feel her presence, a quiet thing of guilt and it’s like their connection is muffled, like you’re buried under a thousand pillows and no one can hear you scream.

Allura takes his shoulder and listens when Lance says his concerns. Spits out the truth right in front of them, that he’s the team goofball, the screwup, not a leader and now...maybe not even a paladin.

Red roars and they jerk their heads to the ceiling.

“I-I don’t understand.”

Allura tries to explain, “My father build Voltron, but he knew Zarkon was a better leader in battle so he became _Voltron’s right hand._ Lance, when you accepted Keith as the new leader of Voltron, it proved that you value a strong team over your own need for glory….Just like my father.”

Lance can barely take in the words, they feel like an empty token. Is Allura saying that because he supported Keith, he lost his lion? _He lost Blue?_ But anything about her father is important to Allura so he softly says, “I won’t let him down.”

“Go.” Allura urges with steel in her eyes. Nudging him, pushing him towards the door.

And Lance runs, but it’s painful to tear his gaze from his girl. His Blue.

But then again...she’s not his Blue anymore is she? Behind him, he can hear the fizz of a particle barrier going down. He swallows the lump in his throat awkwardly. Maybe...she was never his in the first place.

He’s just the spare wheel.

Again.

Still he books it, his lungs heaving as he makes it to Red’s hanger, because crushing feelings of utter abandonment or no, his team is in danger. So what if he has to be the spare part to plug in to make this thing work?

Fine.

Red’s roar got louder with every boot he pounds to the floor.

_Fine._

The hanger door slides open and Red is active. _Very active._ Her large metal body prowls while her claws scrape and screech with her displeasure. Lance doesn’t even break his stride. He sprints straight for her, the lion crouching impatiently and snatches him in her jaws. The action has him tripping over his legs but he picks himself up quickly.

“Yeah,yeah I’m here. I’m here.” Lance yells. “And thanks for practically swallowing me instead of biting my head off.

Red shakes her head, forcing the pilot closer to the controls. A growl fills the space as if expressing urgency.

“I’m moving as fast as I can, just hold your Quiznak.” Lance mutters in reply. The screens blinking into existence around him. “What are we even doing? _Playing Voltron musical chairs?_ Keith in Black, me in you, Allura in Blue...Really? What’s next, Coran in Green?”

He sits, staring hesitantly at the controls. His fingers hovering right above them. This isn’t Blue. He wants Blue. “You don’t even _like_ me.”

Red roars angrily and Lance shakes with the vibration. “It’s true! Look, I’m not your pilot, I’m not–I’m not Keith. But every _damn_ time he does this, I have to fill the space he left behind. Why am I always the replacement? Why am I–” He chokes, he can feel his eyes growing wet. “Quiznak, I don’t get it. _Why did Blue throw me away?”_

_< WANTED> _

Red floods his mind. It’s nothing like Blue.

Blue is soothing, purring to those warm bits inside of you while she plants ideas in your head. She’s a blanket on a chilly day.

Red’s a semi-truck that’s attempting to cuddle with you. Repeatedly.

She whuffs and growls until Lance can feels her in his bones. In his mind, Red forces her way in the cracks Blue left behind with rough contentment. He grabs the controls to ground himself, gasping and Red purrs in approval. She pads for the hanger doors. Why does she even need a freaking pilot in the first place? Especially when she keeps moving _just fine_ on her own.

_< WANTED LITTLE BLUE> _

_“What?”_

_< LITTLE BLUE GOOD FOR RED>_

“What do you mean good for Red? Keith was good for you, not me!” Lance echoed exasperatedly. “Or why not Allura? Her freaking dad used to be your pilot!”

_< GOOD, LOYAL PALADIN. GOOD FOR TEAM. GOOD FOR RED>_

“But I’m the BLUE paladin.”

_< ASKED BLUE>_

Lance feels the air punched out of him. “Oh...and she said yes.” Well of course she did. It makes perfect sense. They need Voltron in this war to save the universe, in fact there’s a fight right out there that needs them. Why _wouldn’t_ Blue give him up?

Sensing the morose change in his emotions, Red smacks into his skull again. Her current pilot must not be sad. She’s going to keep him for a while, Blue’s cub was very good to Red’s cub and must be cared for.

_< ASKED REALLY HARD>_

A wet snort escapes the cub. Eager at the mild progress Red whines, the sound echoing throughout the hanger and tries again.

_< SORRY....NOT SORRY>_

The lack of shame earns Red an honest laugh. Lance shakes his head from side to side. “Oh my gosh, you really ARE Keith’s lion. Just–ARGH! We don’t have time for this. Our team is in trouble and we’re not going let them fight alone. Just...later we’re having serious cockpit down time okay? It’s a Lance-to-lion-ritual and–.”

<FLY WITH ME>

“–and you’re gonna explain exactly how this whole ‘the lion chooses the paladin’ thing works, because do I have to wear red now? Like what exactly am I? The red paladin? The blue paladin?

_< A PALADIN OF VOLTRON>_

Lance sucks in a breath. It’s first one that doesn’t hurt. “A paladin of Voltron, huh? Well I guess there’s always that.” Lance’s lips quirk into a grin, his body curing to lead Red out of the castle. She hums and wow her controls are so light. He barely twitches his hands and her body responds, follow the minute direction automatically. “Now why don’t you show me what you can mean by **fly?”**

_And she does._

Very very happily.

Gleefully she racing to the rest of her pack to rip into the enemy. They dart among their foes and paint the void in yellow and her shade of vibrant red. Each explosion making them faster, quicker. _Yes_. Little Blue will suit her well. She shall keep this cub safe...after all it was Blue’s condition. _Protect or suffer._ Convincing the other to give up her paladin was no small trial. Red will make this worth it.

“Whoo-hoo! Boy, this lion can move!” Lance crows. His thoughts taken by the sheer speed that Red can book it. They dodge around and bulldoze ship after ship. Wow. So this is why Keith was always proud of his babe. How does Keith even keep his teeth in his skull? He narrowly misses a cruiser, but bounces across its hull. Okay so he may have gotten a small screech, but Red hasn’t hissed or ripped through his head again so...win?

 _“Hey! Be careful with Red.”_ Keith orders huffly from Black. But Keith’s face is fond. It’s good Red’s out, the backup is freaking needed, but would it kill Lance to be just a little more careful?

Pushy, pushy. “Oh, fly your own lion, Keith.” Behind Lance, since he wasn’t looking, he knocks straight into another ship causing it to explode and it’s awkward, clumsy and wonderful. He’s got a lot to learn, not that he’d tell Keith that...but Red doesn’t mind?

 _“Wait.”_ Lance suddenly thinks aloud, his eyes growing wide. _“WHERE ARE YOUR BRAKES, RED?”_

A loud pleased purr runs throughout his entire body.  

She doesn’t show him.

_What a complete brat._

‘Huh,’ Lance muses _while screaming his head off,_ ‘Maybe this is a match.”

Just...Maybe.  

 

 


End file.
